An Entire Slip Jig!

Well, my reason for this delay is that for a bit I actually thought of abandoning this blog after only one post. However, after a bit of thinking, I decided I do actually have enough to say about dance each week to fill up a whole blog. After that, I still kind of wanted to abandon it because I think I came up with the title while drunk, and now I'm wondering why I have a dance blog named after a Bruce Springsteen song that has nothing to do with literal dancing. But then I realized my stupid drunk title isn't s bad. On a general note, I can really relate with that song, but that has nothing to do with dance, so I'll keep the t to myself.

 Now, dear reader, I'm sure you're wondering about this slip jig. For those who don't know, a slip jig is a genre of both traditional Irish music and Irish dance. The music is slower than your garden variety jig, and also has more "flow" (which makes finding the beat a pain), and the slip jig dance is more balletic, has a lot of across the stage movement, and is quite athletic. I've read that it's a more advanced dance than other Irish soft shoe dances, such as reel and light jig.

 Anyway, aside from drills, this is what I've been working on for my three Irish classes so far, and now I know the whole thing. Don't think for a moment that O'm giving myself too much credit. Notice how I say I "know" it and not that I have "learned" it. I can mark the whole thing (both steps!), I can slowly dance the whole thing, but to music it kind of falls apart. Ha.

 And technique things? I'm getting better about my usual corrections about being too balletic, but I still screw up leaps. They're something between an Irish leap and a grand jete. It was a big deal yesterday when I did two correct leaps in a row after a few across the floor drills. Still working toward three in a row, heh. But that will come with practice because....I know a WHOLE slip jig!